Administrative Procedures Act (APA)
and the Office of the Secretary of State.

The Vermont Administrative Procedures Act was first adopted in 1968 (Act No. 360 of 1967 Adj.), and governs the process by which administrative rules are to be adopted by state agencies. It can be found at Title 3 V.S.A. Chapter 25.

The Office of the Secretary of State is charged with specific duties under this statute including: creating forms for rule filings, receiving rule filings, designating the Newspapers of Record, publishing notices of rulemaking online (https://secure.vermont.gov/SOS/rules/index.php)  and in the newspapers of record, arranging publication of a bulletin of rules ( aka Code of Vermont Rules), and providing a repository for rule filings.

The Office of the Secretary of State has adopted the Rule on Rulemaking for the effective administration of Title 3 V.S.A. Chapter 25. Forms are available for download in Microsoft Word format, and contain locked fields that are preset with the maximum field lengths allowed in the current database system used to track rules.

The Office of the Secretary of State provides these web pages to help clarify the rulemaking process. Included are: instructions for each phase of filing, downloadable forms for filings, and general information related to the APA process. An online portal containing notices of rulemaking is now also available with a variety of features you can visit the portal online at: https://secure.vermont.gov/SOS/rules/index.php.

Except for the Rule on Rulemaking these web pages DO NOT provide electronic text of rules; however The Code of Vermont Rules has been added to the legal resources available on the website of the Vermont Legislature ( http://leg.state.vt.us/statutes/statutes2.htm). You can find the code under: Vermont Statutes and Court Rules at Michie, just click on the Vermont Folder in the upper left frame and choose the Code of Vermont Rules from the subfolders.

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If you have general questions about the rulemaking process, please contact

Louise Corliss by e-mail at or by phone 802-828-2863